Farming & Ital Food

An attractive coconut branch thatched wall was recently erected just
in front of an agricultural plot in the centre of The Valley.
Curious to discover what was behind it, I had a very interesting chat with the
farmers who do more than farming.

For the past 5 months or so, four men have worked this lot, which was provided to
them by the Agricultural Department. They are Iahkiah, Jah Youth, Ganga Ashes and
Abbazulu, a popular calypsonian also known as I Spy.
They plant a wide array of vegetables and fruits like wild lettuce, beets,
cassava, carrots, pumpkin, okra, guinea corn, sweet corn, watermelon,
bananas, spinach, papaya, thyme, chives, sweet peppers. They plant and
reap on a daily basis and then sell their produce at the farm lot (look for
their "Organic Food & Plants" sign) and around the island.

Part of their daily routine is to cook a pot of Ital food for their lunch and
for friends or customers who may drop by. I enquired about the difference
between Ital food and Vegetarian food and was advised that the cooking methods
and requirements of Ital food are more strict.

Abbazulu said: "You can't have Ital food unless you include coconut. No salt…no butter….no packaged seasonings…just the natural seasonings from the ground like garlic, onion…" . They grate coconut in a bowl, add some water and squeeze the coconut juice out. The coconut-water mix is used to cook the vegetables. Also they have a special clay pot that they cook in, as they believe that aluminum pots may leave metallic traces in the food. Abbazulu said: "Clay is from the earth, just like us.." They clean the clay pot with special bushes like Balsam bush or coconut husk.

They are exploring the possibility of cooking Ital food on a larger scale as they see a growing demand. This spot is worth a visit.

Directions: from the airport parking lot, take the only exit
and turn left. Continue straight past Island Car Rentals, Anglec and
National Bank. Turn left at the light by Albert Lake's Market and
drive past the library and the high school. At the roundabout go
straight ahead up the row of mahogony trees. You should see the
Organic Food & Plants sign on the left before you reach
the baseball field.